Show Biz Grizzly Bear Kills Trainer

"Rocky" Wrestled Will Ferrell In "Semi-Pro"; Bear Bit Handler In Neck During Training Session

(AP)  The grizzly bear that wrestled Will Ferrell's character in the recent film "Semi-Pro" seemed to obediently follow cues - which made its killing of its trainer with a bite to the neck all the more stunning.

Three experienced handlers were working with the grizzly Tuesday at the Predators in Action wild animal training center when the bear attacked Stephan Miller, 39, said San Bernardino County sheriff's spokeswoman Cindy Beavers.

Stephan Miller is the cousin of training center owner Randy Miller, she said.

Pepper spray was used to subdue and contain the bear, and there were no other injuries, Beavers said.

The state Department of Fish and Game and Occupational Safety and Health Administration were investigating.

Sheriff's Sgt. Dave Phelps said the bear was a 5-year-old male named Rocky. The Predators in Action Web site said Rocky is 7½ feet tall and weighs 700 pounds.

The Web site identified Rocky as the animal that appeared with Ferrell's character in the scene from "Semi-Pro." Randy Miller doubled for Ferrell in the bear wrestling match, according to the site.

The attack took place during videotaping of a promotional video, said Harry Morse, a spokesman for the California Department of Fish and Game. There was no immediate indication Wednesday who had custody of the tape.

Morse said the animal center had a good safety record. It had received a single misdemeanor citation in 1999 after animal rights groups complained that owner Randy Miller had arranged to have another bear wrestle a man. He received a permit from Los Angeles County officials for the exhibition but it still was a violation of state law, Morse said.

There was no word whether the bear would be euthanized because of the attack. Morse said the attack occurred outside the agency's jurisdiction. Representatives of the county's Animal Care and Control Program did not immediately respond to a call seeking comment Wednesday.

Calls seeking comment from Randy Miller were not immediately returned Tuesday evening.

The center, located in the San Bernardino Mountains east of Los Angeles, has two grizzlies, and also trains lions, tigers, leopards, cougars and wolves for uses ranging from film and TV to advertising and education.

In a February interview, Randy Miller called Rocky "the best working bear in the business," The Sun of San Bernardino reported Wednesday. But the paper quoted him as adding: "If one of these animals gets a hold of your throat, you're finished."

Randy Miller won a World Stunt Academy Award for his work wrestling tigers in the 2000 blockbuster "Gladiator" and performed stunts with his animals in films including "The Postman," "The Island of Dr. Moreau," and "The Last Samurai." He also helped recreate animal attacks for National Geographic documentaries and the Discovery Channel.

It was not immediately known how long Rocky has been at the facility.

The attack prompted actress Virginia McKenna, founder of the international wildlife charity Born Free, to call for the entertainment industry to stop using wild animals.

"The movie industry urgently needs to use its technological and creative imagination to put an end to the use of live wild animals in commercials and movies," McKenna, who starred in the 1966 wildlife film "Born Free," said in a statement. "Hollywood is a dream factory - this time the dream has become a nightmare."

Native grizzly bears are extinct in California.

[blackyowe]

Doing some research I have found that Randy Miller has disposed of a number of big cats and bears through the private exotic animal trade which is very sad. Many of those animals end up on shooting ranches in TX and Florida. Predators in Action has been cited by the USDA for numerous noncompliances with the federal Animal Welfare Act--including failure to comply with veterinary care requirements; failure to provide minimum space and shelter from cold, snowy weather; failure to provide a veterinarian-approved diet plan for the big cats; failure to repair outdoor shelters; and failure to provide drinking water. Aerial photos of Miller''s property show that the bears are kept in cramped pens.

[keithle1]

Don''t mess with the bears. Leave ''em alone. They should be in the woods/forest living like the wild animals they are. Ripping the heads off of hikers & campers. Not doing tricks for humans. Sad. Maybe in 50 years there won''t be any more humans. I wouldn''t care. It would be good. Leave earth to the animals.

[nick32708]

It is indeed sad that in this world where humans don''t behave as they should but, we want animals to behave as humans. This is infringement of animal rights. We want to bring the wild animal and train them to behave as humans, then this poor fellow hurts you, the reason these animals may not understand, but our law requires such an animal to be uthenised. How cruel it is?
Today with the advancement in computer graphics we don''t need animals to be used in TV commercials, let them stay in zoo and protected parks.

[blackyowe]

It is interesting how no one seems to bring up the fact that hand reared animals are the most dangerous. I make my living in the animal world and I have friends who have died from not respecting animals. One women was killed by a hand reared buffalo. I hate to be cold but this man died because he was a fool. It should not be legal for anyone but zoos to keep grizley Bears. The fact that the bear was five is very telling. The more mature the more a male is going to say. "I don''t want to play you game anymore." He was licked just before he was bitten. No way would I ever let a bear lick me!

[misands]

Stop trying to give human traits to animals. It is arrogant to think because we want to cuddle, animals want to cuddle. Because we want to be entertained by them, that they enjoy performing, that they just want to be loved. They just want to survive and to do that--they''''ll learn to accept cuddling, being your entertainment, being ridden, etc--but they can no more control their instinct than you can decide when goosebumps will rise on your skin due to cold or fear.
- beasy63
______________________
I think it''s arrogant to think you know exactly the way animals think and don''t think and that they have no traits that mirror humans. They have fear, happiness, saddness, etc. Of course they have different thinking than humans, but you are very arrogant for assuming they are just robots with no emotion at all!! Who made you God to decide that?

[irliberal]

Darwin @ work. Nothing to see here. Move on. 8-)

[b-easy63]

Rocky is simply guilty of behaving like the bear he is. Animals don''''t always think like we do.

Posted by misands at 04:03 PM : Apr 23, 2008

News Flash: Animals NEVER think like we do. If they did, bears, lions and wolves would have us on farms, fattening us up for their tables. Animals act on instinct. YOur cat acted on instinct. Humans have this nasty tendency to personify other animals. They act without thinking, if they tried to reason things out--by the time they "figured" stuff out they would be dead.

Stop trying to give human traits to animals. It is arrogant to think because we want to cuddle, animals want to cuddle. Because we want to be entertained by them, that they enjoy performing, that they just want to be loved. They just want to survive and to do that--they''ll learn to accept cuddling, being your entertainment, being ridden, etc--but they can no more control their instinct than you can decide when goosebumps will rise on your skin due to cold or fear.

2 bears fighting would naturally bite at each other. And due to their size, the amount of fat and fur around their neck, they would have survived that bite. Humans rarely respect animals and that includes humans who make pets out of them--we don''t do it for the animals--we do it for ourselves and our own neurosis.

[b-easy63]

They didn''''t and they don''''t. They''''re like animals, just like the bear. They kill. That''''s what wild animals do.

Posted by taylor2124 at 12:04 PM : Apr 23, 2008


...and why kill an animal for doing what it does naturally? That is like trying to destroy water because it is wet or electricity because it shocks--it appears Al Qaeda and Bears are not the only ones that don''t think on these boards. LOL

[b-easy63]

Hey I''''d pony up a couple of hundred bucks to put usesomesense into a 100 acre enclosure and shoot him. The bear, however, should be allowed to live his days out in a zoo - just ensure he can''''t come in direct contact with people again.

Posted by USBrit at 12:33 PM : Apr 23, 2008


Why shoot him? Let''s just put him in the 100 acres with the bear. Enclosed, no way out and ...oh yeah we''ll give him pepperspray to fend off the bear. We can charge over 1000.00 each ringside to see how long usesomesense lasts against the Bear. Not to mention the side bets.

[b-easy63]

(Steve Erwin, Timothy Treadway...etc.) This gentlman knew the risks of working with wild animals, in any capacity. He accepted those risks, obviously. A thorough vet exam, and placement in a facility, is my hope for this animal. At the very least, this is what he deserves for all he has given of himself, to this point.

Posted by tireslinger at 11:55 AM : Apr 23, 2008


Timothy Treadwell. May he R.I.P (got his head torn off by a bear)

[b-easy63]

Yes, he is a wild animal. So why wish for him to live out his days in a zoo? Let him go back to the wild!

Posted by barbaraf4 at 10:26 AM : Apr 23, 2008


animals in long periods of captivity will be too acclimated to humans to survive in the wild. Often they will continue to seek out humans (who often hike or camp in the wild) and if they can''t get enough sustenance from the wild (because they don''t know how) they WILL survive by attacking, killing and eating people. He has bitten a person. Now he knows that it is doable and more importantly, that humans are FOOD.

he should be in a zoo where he can continue to be taken care of. Maybe he can be a stud and then his offspring can be set free.

Even bears who don''t have good survival skills become victims in the wild.

[misands]

Rocky is simply guilty of behaving like the bear he is. Animals don''t always think like we do.
I have a cat (Oscar) who would sometimes attack my boyfriend and I when we were living in some apartments. Even a house cat can be scary when they "lose it". We were close to putting Oscar down, but after a lot of reading and consulting our vet, we figured out that Oscar was smelling a stray tom-cat that was spraying near our air conditioner. Oscar was smelling the other cat and "displaced" his anger on us because he couldn''t reach his true target. It was a lesson that what may seem like bizarre behaivor to us humans makes perfect sense to the animal. I''m happy to say after we moved, Oscar quit attacking us and has been a very sweet cat every sense.
No one may know what set Rocky off that day, but killing him would only make a tragic story that much more tragic.

[dorlockt]

The trainer was a lib anyway, so no big loss.

[excoachken]

The bear should pay the price.

[bobnjersey]

[Put George Dubya and *** head Cheneyco in the cage w/ the bear and see who cares.]
[Posted by BOT5Plus at 01:42 PM : Apr 23, 2008]

this would be cruel and unusual treatment ... of the bear!

[jetlizhan]

very sad story. so sorry for the victim and his family; however this is still a wild animal - i don''t care how much training he''s had. wild is wild is wild. to whomever - please don''t euthanize this animal - that would be cruel and unfair.

[funkiwiteboy]

i hope it is NOT destroyed

[michellem99-2009]

Yes it is a bear..I know that..people are mean to animals..the bloody circus..it is barred in many places..A bear will do as a bear..They are wild animals..Wild..My senior father taught me that. And ye never corner it..that is true of all living things.

[michellem99-2009]

They peppered that bear..no wonder it was pissed..Let me tell ye a true fact..My friend peppered a dog..it was rubbing its face afther it was peppered. But That dog ''membered him..i asked what about the dog..He told me it made him mean..and would have attacked him the dog was on a rope. They ''member. He said that dog was pissed.. That was ''fore I met him..

[nothappyatall]

I feel that this is the case here. Over the years there has been many case%u2019s of an animal hurting its trainer.

Posted by hbevis "

More people are killed by pet Rottweilers and other dogs than performing bears, statistically speaking it''s insignificant.